-L. I 



THE 



EDUCATION OF GIRLS. 



-BIT— 






Gr. ^W, HOEISrSHEX.. 



HOENSHEL & CO., 

HARRISOJTBURG, VA. 



M 



THE 



EDUCATION OF GIRLS. 



-B^ST— 



Gr. ^W. HOENSHEL. 



HOENSHEL & CO., 

HARRISONBURG, VA. 






Copyrighted 1888, by G. W. Hoetishel. N^ 



.\\^ 



INTRODUCTION. 



No apology is made for the appearance of this book. 
Much has been written upon the subject of education. 
Many theories have been advanced. The author endeavors to 
point out some mistakes that he thinks have been made, and 
how they may be corrected. He who writes simply to find 
fault and to destroy does but little good. Honest criti- 
cism can never do harm. The author makes no claim to 
originality. These views have been impressed upon his 
mind in his work as a teacher. He expects no commenda- 
tions. He is well aware of the imperfections of his work. 
In the fond hope that it may be the means of encouraging 
s^me mother in her work and inspiring some girl to 
nobler deeds of virtue, this little book is sent forth upon 
its mission. G. W. HOENSHEL. 

Shenanboah Normal College. 
March 1, 1888. 



THE EDUCATION OP GIRLS. 



The old theor}^ that a woman is an inferior being and 
Meeds but little education is no longer tenable. Bat some 
still hold to the proposition that woman is the 'Hyeaker 
vessel," both physically and intellectually, and not capa- 
ble of receiving the same instruction as her brother. The 
logic of events has proven the falsity of this proposition. 
When woman was a slave to social customs, and but few 
opportunities of improvement were afforded to her, she 
accomplished but little. But even then her history may 
be read without a blush. Though in the classic nations 
of antiipiity theie are but few instances of her heroism 
and worth, yet their bright lustre but adds to the dark 
gloom of the customs and civilization of that time. 

Where w^oman is free she proves herself a fit compan- 
ion for man. In science, in art, in literature, and even 
in mathematics, she is not unknown. The magazines are 
tilled with the productions of her pen. Publishers an- 
nounce in glaring head-lines the appearance of her latest 
story, of fact or fancy. ]S"o history of literature or art 
(tan be written that does not contain the names of women 
who have become noted. The achievements of the past 
quarter century have proven to the world that there is 



DO sex ID miDd. Ooly a short time since and tlie illus- 
trions daughter of an honored father resigned her posi- 
tion as professor of astronomy in one of the most noted 
Eastern colleges. In no intellectual pursuit has woman 
proven weaker than man. The record of all colleges 
where both sexes are educ ited together, show conclu- 
sively that she can think and reason. Frequently do wo- 
men win many of the honors bestow e.l for faithful work. 
It is too late to talk about the inferiority of woman. It 
would be just as wise to endeavor to pro re the impossi- 
bility of steamships crossing the sea. One lact is better 
than a thousand theories. 

But granting her intellectual ability, many contend 
that woman has no need of the higher education. Her 
position|^in life, they say, does not require that knowl 
edge and training so essential to every business man. 
That may be true to a certain extent, but everywhere, 
knowledeje is power and ignorance is weakness. If wo- 
man is to be fitted for a life of usefulness, she needs that 
training that will give her strength and knowledge. Each 
year the field of woman's work is becoming more exten- 
sive. Each year she enters new fields to win renown, or 
to ignobly fail. There is no impassable barrier that keeps 
her from any useful employment. 

But is it true that the occupation of woman is such 
that she needs but little kuowledge ? The eye was made 
for the light, and the mind was formed to perceive truth. 
Every fact that the mind acquires adds something to the 
happiness and the usefulness of the individual. As the 
eye without light is blind, so the mind uncultivated, is 
an unsafe guide. Man mingles with the world. He finds 
many things to attract his attention. He is both amused 



and instructed hy the people and things with winch he 
comes in contact. With woman it is different. She is 
the creature of home. Her ambition is centered in her 
own fireside. Much of her time is spent alone. She is 
thrown upon her own resources for company and enter- 
tainment. How important it is that she shonld have a 
well-trained mind, so that when alone she may nave for 
her company the great and good of all ages. Nature 
si:)eaks with a thousand voices to him who will but hear. 
Education adds new beautv to the scenes of every day 
life. Everything administers to the happiness of him 
who proves himself a master. Give to a girl hei birth 
right, a well-trained mind, an education equal to that of 
her brother, and she will have no occasion to spend her 
time discussing the affairs of her neighbors. Fill her 
mind full ot noble thoughts and there will be no occasion 
for the ''light*' society talk that means so little and yet 
does so much harm. 

The object of all education is to fit the individual for 
the duties of life. Without entering into the theological 
discussion of the question, we may consider that the ob- 
ject of life IS to be happy and to make others happy. To 
be happy it is necessary to be useful. So then, girls 
should receive that education and training thafi will make 
them useful. The position a girl expects to occupy in 
life must determine to a great extent what instruction 
she should receive. All boys do not need the same train- 
ing. The instruction that will fit a boy for the farm will 
not prepare him for the school room. Of the diversified 
occupations of industrial life, each one demands special 
preparation. But it is not the technical training, but the 
practical education of women that is most needed. No 



6 

one was created tor ornament. The world is full of 
beaut.v. The highest duty of man is to work, to be use- 
ful, and to develoi) his talents and not bury them m n 
u<\])k\u. Edncatioii is not for society, nor for tl'e giddy 
pleasures of the moment j but for lite, — for usefulness. 
That knowledge that does not make a girl more sell-re- 
liant and give lier a nobler idea of life, noes her no good. 

Much of the education that is intended for girls does 
not tit them for life. Many institiition> of learning are 
conducted upon incorrect principles. Many girls are S(Mit 
off to school to receive culture, to become refined, to be 
fitted to attract attention in the ])arlor and ball-room, 
but not to be prepared for the duties ol life. There are 
many woithy colleges for the education of women, biit 
there are still some schools, ''ladies' seminaries," that are 
almost a curs« to society. When man thwarts nature lie 
makes a latal mistake, and must, in the end, acknowl- 
edge defeat. Tiiat system of education that would change 
the i>hin of nature, must be disastrous. Usefulness is 
righteousness. When the chiet object in the education 
of aiiirl is to train her to seem and not to be, to make 
her ornamental rather than useful, the result can 
never be an exalted type fff womanhood. 

Girls are sent to school to become "accomplished." 
They want to attract attention. They select studies that 
will never be of any i)ractical use to them in after life. 
They lose all sight of the object and end of life. They 
live in an ideal world. They do not care to be useful. 
They think more ot the silly flattery of the ball-room, 
than of the rewards of a life of virtue. They receive cul- 
ture, but it is not refinement. Culture is of the manner, 
refinement is of the heart. The true lady is a lady every 



where. Her refioemeut is part of herself. The cultured 
lad}' is a "lady" in the parlor, but elsewhere is nothing- 
better than a hoiden. Her culture is not the manifes- 
tation of the inner life, but is used as a cloak to conceal 
the utter lack of noble thoughts and worthy ambitions. 
Is the above not true of many "accomplished" ladies ? 

Life is not a dream. It is a reality. Girls should not 
lose sight of their importance in the world. They can no 
longer be considered as something higher than a rose, 
and a little lower than an angel. That training that 
would make of a noble minded girl a mere toy, a giddy 
butterfly of fashion, cannot be too liarshly condemned. 
Yet how many boarding schools tlnu^e are that boast of 
the "accomplishments" that girls receive at their hands. 
That is the trouble. Thf^re is too much time spent upon 
the accomplishments and too little attention given to 
training. It is better for a girl to be useful at home 
than to to be ornamental in society. 

Music should be an important part of the education 
of every girl. There should be music in every home. 
What is more pleasing than the evening songs of devo- 
tion. The mellow tones of theeorgan blend sweetly witli 
the clearer notes of the human voice. The cares and 
disappointments of the day are forgotten. The wearieil 
limbs are soothed and the mind prepared for refreshing- 
sleep. But why should the girl who has but little talent 
for muLic, attempt the difficult operatic airs? She only 
succeeds in annoying her neighbors. How much better 
for such a girl to receive that instruction that will enable 
her to comprehend more simple music and thus make 
home pleasant. No study is useless that adds anything 
to the pleasures of homo. But too often the instruction 



8 

lias no reference to the duties of life. 

During tbe first years of life there should be no differ- 
ence lu the education of boys and girls. The studies 
suited to one will help the other. At what age then 
should the girls be sent off and locked up in a boarding 
school that they may be fitted for life? To fit a girl for 
life she is taken from the active duties of life, to fit her 
for society she is secluded from society. It is this uu- 
natural method that betrays the boarding school miss 
wherever she is seen. This is not strange. The system 
of boarding schools for girls is false in theory and disas 
trous in practice. 

No one obiects to girls being educated. Give them a 
knowledge of all sciences and languages. Teach them 
music aud i)ainting, and all the ennobling and elevating 
arts if you will, but let all this be done by natural meth- 
ods. It is not so much what is taught as how it is tanghc, 
that makes a girl learned and useful. It is not a rare 
occurrence for a girl, and, sometimes, eveu a boy, to be 
sent off to school and receive an accomplished education 
and return to her parents less fitted for the duties of life 
than when she entered the school. Such is always the 
case when education is for show. The fault is not so 
much with the studies she pursues, as the manner in 
which she is taught and the object in view. It is a 
principle of all teaching that tlie student will never be 
any better than the ideal of the teacher. When the high- 
est ambition is to develop a fashionable lady, you should 
not expect a model woman. 

To accomplish the best results both sexes should at- 
tend the same schools. The evils of co-education are 
only imaginary. Much is gained by ladies and gentle- 



irieii meeting togetlier in the elass rooiu. Tlie ladies are 
aiioie courteous and dignitied, the geutleiuen are luoie 
gentle and refined. Each gains by associatinu" with the 
^>ther. It is tiHl»natnrai system \)f living. They are be- 
ing prepared for life as it is, and not as it miglit be. The 
noblest traits of charaeter are always "developed when 
lK)th sexes are thrown together and expected to conduet 
themselves as ladies and gentlemen. It succeeds because 
it IS the method of nature. 

Both sexes should be educated together, and, to a very 
great extent, both simuld i)ursue the same studies. It is 
not necessary to pursue any study simply for culture. 
Utility and culture go hand in hand. The same studies 
that tit for the duties of life will enable the girl to be an 
ornament to society. There is no use in a girl's studying 
languages and ologies that, she cares nothing about 
and will never have occasion to use outside of the school 
room. Too much learning makes girls foolish, but knowl- 
edge always makes them wise and useful. 

The common branches. Mathematics, Science, an d 
Language, are suitable studies for both sexes. Music, 
painting, and drawing, are refining and elevating, but it 
is better for a girl to have a thorough knowledge of the 
common branches than to be only able to daub paint and 
to throw a piano into contortions. All cannot be musi- 
cians, and but few can excel in painting. First give a 
girl a practical education, and there will be time enough 
for the ornamental part. It is better to be able to talk 
common sense in English than to talk nonsense in half a 
dozen languages. But because it is fashionable for a girl 
to study Erench, she wastes her time and accomplishes 
but little. It woidd be much better to become familiar 



10 

with tlie master-pieces ol English literature. It is no 
disgrace to be ignorant of either the ancient or modern 
languages but each should be familiar vvith his mother 
tongue. 

The mistakes in school education are not the only 
ones that are made in the education of girls. The home 
training has much to do with a girl's usefulness in life. 
The mother's influence is stronger than all else. Her 
ideas of life determine the character of her daughter. 
The home is a more important factor m the civilization 
of the world than the school. Society at large is but the 
reflection of the home life of the community. 

Labor is a blessing, idleness is a curse. To make a 
girl useful, she should be trained to work. It is no dis- 
grace for a girl to soil her hands b}^ honest toil. It is 
not kindness to relieve her of all cares and home duties. 
No one can perform an act of kindness without becoming 
better. Every hour spent in faithful work is an element 
of strength. Every hour spent in day dreaming is an ele 
ment of weakness. She who would be strong, must im- 
prove every opportunity of doing good. 

However wealthy a girl may be, though her every 
wish may be gratified, yet she should be trained to work. 
It is a part of her education. It is as ennobling as any 
study she pursues at school. It is far more important 
that a girl should know how to bake good bread than 
that she should have a knowledge of the French lan- 
guage. To know how to make home pleasant and to 
perform the domestic duties of every day life is an im 
portanc part of the education of every girl. Though she 
may never be required to use this knowledge, yet it is an 
element of strength, and will shield her in many trjing 



11 

hours. 

Idleness and aimlessoess is the cause of many ruiued 
homes and blasted lives. Usefulness is the safe guard 
against many evils. Velvet cushions and reclining chairs 
are conducive to neither health nor morality. Vice and 
luxury too often go hand in hand. Unless otherwise 
employed, the mind preys upon itself and the girl be- 
comes a victim of ennui. Life is real only to those who 
make it so. Whatever adds to the happiness of others 
is ennobling. Nothing is more degrading than idleness. 
It is no longer an indication of nobility for a girl to be 
ignorant of household work. There is no aristocracy 
like the aristocracy of true worth. Blood may become 
corrupt, mone> may be lost, but integrity endures forever. 

The world was made for workers, not for loafers. 
Idleness in a girl is no less excusable than m a boy. Eve- 
ry girl should be self-reliant and able to support herself 
in the world. She should receive that practical educa- 
tion that gives her command of herself. Unless she is 
able to do something when she leaves school she is poor- 
ly fitted for life, however ornamental she may be. ¥,o 
girl should be contented to be a burden upon others. 
Honest work is the friend of virtue, idleness is the mother 
of vice. Nothing is more helpless than a girl who has 
received a fashionable education. When thrown upon 
her own resources, she has nothing to shield her from 
temptation. Having never been trained to work, there 
is nothing that she can do. Virtue and truth, the crown- 
ing glories of woman, are too oiten bartered for bread- 
The gilded palaces of sin receive the homeless girl, and 
she is lost to all that is good and true. 

A mother can do her daughter no greater wrong thac 



11? 

to roar her iii idleness aii'l thus unlit \)i)v for a life ot'rf;^e- 
fuliiess. A i;irl sliould be as indepeiideDt and self-reli- 
ant as a 1)<>\\ >T(> one should depend upon tortune. 
Those wiic feast in j>ala(.'-es to-day may want for biead 
toinoriow. They oidy are safe who prepare for all 
einergeneies. In every town and vdlage there is some 
Ijopeie.ss wreck, the result of a false system of edueation 
and liome trainni;;'- Jletter tar would it be for humanity 
if there were no ^homeless wail's. Sin ])reys upon tln^ 
necessities ot the poor. No one is safe who depends 
n[)on the cold charities of others. Indei>endence and 
self-reliance is streui;'th. Age brings with it m^vny chang- 
es, and the witty rei>ly, the rosy cheeks, and the langli- 
ing" eye tiiat called forth so )nai?y compliments i)j the 
ball room, soon lose their attraction. Society is no long- 
er kind. Jt is then that every woman realizes how im- 
iportantit is to be useful. 

Education should lit for life. As sovirty now exists, 
no girl is fitte<l lor life until she is i)repared to make some 
man a .good wile and be the center of attraction of some 
family <:ircle. Nine-tenths of all the girls that arrive at 
the age of fnaturity, marry. Vet how many there are 
who never leceive any instruction or ])repanition for the 
new duties devolving upon them. Is It any wonder that 
<livorce cases have bec(>meso frequent in many sections 
of the cotintiv 'i Theri^ are skeletons in a thousand 
closets, and discord and contention in a thousand liomes, 
simply because girls are educated to be ornamental u\\\i\ 
attractive, and not fitted for the duties of life. 

Doubtless many a fond mother and her charming daugh- 
ter would throw up their heads in holy horror at the above 
proposition, and yet that same mother and daughter will 



13 

spend many a long night and weary day in scheming and 
planning to form au alliance with some foreign lord or 
pampered child of fortune, that it would be sacrilege to call 
marriage. And yet to train a girl so chat she may secure a 
happy home is ignoble ! It is this blindness and disregard 
of the future that causes so much misery.' If a girl wishes ' 
to engage in any occupation she prepares herself for the 
work. Why then should she not receive that training and 
instruction that will fit her for marriage ? It is the most 
important step she can ever take. She determines not only 
her own destinv, but, to a great extent, that of her husband. 

When men marry they don't want a toy. They want 
a companion,— a iielpmeet. Ornaments lor the home 
can be [)urchased in open market. So long as home is 
pleasant, it is man's refuge from the cares of life. Bad 
management and poor cooking is a friutfal source of di- 
voTces. Woman is held by her affections, man by his 
appetite. Sour bread and poorly cooked meat never 
make a man ha})py and contented. 

While it may never be necessary for her to perform 
any of the so-called menial duties of domestic life, yet 
everx woman should be able to control her own bouse. 
Home IS the holiest place upon earth. How then can any 
act be menial that adds anything to the comforts and 
pleasures of home ? God never intended that any of his 
creatures should be degraded. If it is ignoble or men- 
ial to prepare food to sustain life, man would have been 
created to live without eating. The Divine Master 
taught the lesson, that they are greatest who do most 
for others. There is nothing low or mean but vice and 
crime. 

Should a girl never marry, this common-sense training 



14 

would fit lier for u life of usefulness. How rnan3' acts of 
cluinty are perfornied b.v niaideu ladies. Ilavin"' no 
family cares, the.v cairv i)eace and happiness to many 
homes. Every worthy enterprise always receives their as- 
sistance. When a ^irl is self-reliant, she does not worry 
about ,2:etting nnirried. She knows slie can make hei' 
own way in t!ie world, and whatever may be her fortune, 
she makes the world better. The girls who have been 
tau^^ht to expect flattery, and to do nothing", are the ones 
that beconie silly and foolish should the lon;^ expected 
knight never come to claim his own. 

Health is necessary to success or usefulness in any 
vocation of life. Yet health is not always fasional)le, 
Many girls do not want to be robust, and strong". But few 
of tliem care to taKe any exercise. They cat but little, 
and are quite fastidious. Social customs are not condu- 
cive to health. Everything must be sai.Tificed so that 
the girl may be attractive. Even when quite younggirls 
are rei)roved for rom])ing. That is what they need. 
There are no cosmetics like plenty of exercise in the open 
air. Girls should never be too dignified to run and play. 
Anything is lady-like that i)roduces health. 

Girlhood is almost unknown. At the age of eight or 
ten years the girl becomes quite dignified. She is no longer 
Mary, or Jane, but Miss Smith, or Miss Brown. She is in- 
troduced to visitors, not as a girl, but as a young lady. Her 
restrained manners and self-conscious air seem to indicate 
that the honor of the whole family is resting upon her. 
From babyhood to womanhood is too great a transition. 
Nothing can take the place of girlhood. It is a time when 
there are but few cares. Life is then most sweet. Too 
soon will girls become familiar with the cares of life. Let 



15 

them be girls as Ions' as they can, and grow strong and beau- 
tifnl. 

Nothing- is more attractive to men than lioalth and 
natural beauty. Whiie it is true that men do not admire 
masculine women, ocitlier do they love excessive weaii- 
ness. ^en do not marry a girl because she can talk 
Inench, sing- Iiahan, and understand the mysteries of sci- 
ence. It is a law of nature that men should be attracted 
by strong-, healthy women. Mrs. Partington's advice to 
lier son Ike, when she told him not to marry a girl from a 
ladies' "Cemetery," means something. That training that 
destroys the simplicity of a girl and ruins her health, un- 
tits her for a life of usefulness. There is no education or 
knowledge that is more important than good healtli. 

Many object to this practical view of the subject. They 
claim that education is for culture, that it is not for utility. 
Which is the most ennobling view of the subject I Which 
is in harmony with the teachings of nature ? How fool- 
ish the man who builds a house upon an insecure founda- 
tion, of imperfect material, and then embellishes it with 
the most costly finish. It soon crumbles and decays, and 
the costly ornaments attract attention only by contrast. 
That IS building for show. The wise man first secures a 
solid foundation, the walls are perfect, and the decora- 
tians are in harmony with their surrounding.'^. The house 
attracts attention on accountof the beauty and symmetry 
ot the whole. That is building for usefulness and com- 
fort. So it IS in life. Education for culture, too often 
attracts attention only by its absurdicies. The first re- 
quisite is a foundation n]>on which to build. Common 
sense, a knowledge of the common branches and of the 
duties of home life, is the foundation upon which the ed 



16 

ucation of everj girl slionld rest. All culture and knowl- 
edge uill then but add to her strength and usefulness. 
If a girl does not have this practical knowledge, her edu- 
cation for culture will oidy make her ridiculous. 

Too many persons attempt to erect a lour-story budd- 
ing upon a one-story foundation. Great pretentions al- 
ways bring shame. No one has any use for the higher 
studies until he is master of the common branches. Each 
truth prepares the way for aiiother. There is no en<l to 
knowledge. The finite ever reaches out toward the in- 
finite. No knowledge is too good for a girl. Beginning 
with what is most useful, and lollowing the natural order 
of development, there is scarcely any limit to what she 
may accomplish. Each new study she pursues adds to 
her usetulness and pleasure. In such an education, util- 
ity and culture go hand in hand. She will never be 
brought to shame and confusion for she has built upon a 
'.secure foundation. That may not be fashionable, but it 
IS natural, and the result is a noble woman. 

The divine command that, over eighteen hundred years 
ago, fell from the lips of him that spake as never man 
spake, is still ringing down through the ages, "Why stand 
ye here all the day idle ? Go Korl; in my vineyard^ And 
that same command comes with equal force to every child 
born into the world. *'Go work in my vineyard." No 
where in that matchless Book is any promise given to idle- 
ness or sloth. The magnificent cities, the churches with 
heaven-reaching spires, the institutions of charity that dot 
the world, and the many enterprises that are civilizing and 
Christianizing the uttermost parts of the earth, are all mon- 
uments of honest toil. If you want to see the fruits of 
idleness, go to the almshouse, and within the gilded pala- 



17 

ces of sin. There you will see the sunken eyes, the hollow- 
cheeks, the bloodless lips, and a form of matchless beauty all 
disfigured by the indelible marks of sin. Ask these helpless 
inmates the cause of their downfall and ruin, and from 
their parched lips will come the reply, "Idleness, drifting— 

aimless drifting." 

There are many things that a girl can do. Any honest 

employment is more ennobling than idleness. The profes- 
sions are open to her, and there are many little duties in 
every family that no servant can perform. There is always 
something that can be done to make home pleasant. Wo- 
men are succeeding everywhere. It has not been many 
years since ladies were first employed to teach m the pub- 
lic schools, and now they far out-number the men in that 
profession. There are many opportunities for the young 
girl who is thrown upon her own resources. What she 
needs is a practical education and a willingness to work. 

The world honors the man or woman who is not afiaid of 
doing too much. Those who, by their own energy and 
genius, achieve any great work, are not forgotten. Every. 
deed of virtue bears fruit long after the doer is forgotten. 
How much better to assist others than to do nothing. Many 
persons who have become famous owe their success in the 
world to the honest work of some one long since forgotten 
How cheering the command, "Go work in my vineyard." 
Not for self, but for humanity Y/e labor. 

Honest employment is an anchor of safety to every 
life. The Divine Master made no mistake when he taught 
the lesson of industry. However prosperous a man may be, 
he finds no pleasure in idleness. Man was so created that 
he finds his greatest enjoyment in honest work. No one 
can escape the eternal law of nature and the command of 



18 

nature's God. "Go work in my vineyard." 

But yet fashionable society has set at nauKht that com- 
mand. The mother says: "Daught c-i.go rest in the parlor." 
And so, day after day, week after week,'^year after year, the 
spoiled child of fashion spends the refreshins; hours of 
morning, and the pleasant evening time in idleness and day 
dreaming. What is the natural result of such a system of 
training? It is this dreaming, drifting, thoughtless living 
that leads to ruin, and brings discord^and confusion into so 
many homes. Labor is a safe-guard against temptation. 
The Arabs have a proverb that "every man is tempted by 
the devil except ajazy man and he tempts the devil." If a 
girl has no employment she will build air castles 'and live 
in an ideal world. When she marries, as she surely expects 
to do, she is disappointed. She comes in contact with the 
world as it is. She finds in her husband a man with the 
faults and short-comings of humanity. He is not one of 
the noble heroes of her ideal world. It is not strange that 
in many cases love dies and happiness departs. It is then 
that the diyorce court, with all its accompaning scandal, is 
called in to rectify the defects of home training. Every 
reader fully realizes that the illustration is not overdrawn. 

To say nothing of a life of indolence, idleness in itself is 
a sin. The man who received his one talent and buried 
it in a napkin, was cast into outer darkness. He was not 
punished for what he did but for what he did not do. The 
command is "go work." Those who remain idle cannot hope 
to be rewarded. But little was expected of the man to 
whom only one talent was given, but he did not do even 
what he could. There is an eternal warfare between right 
and wrong. No man can be neutral. He who does not 
contend for the right gives aid to the wrong. To each per- 



19 

son there come opportunities of doing good. To do noth- 
ing is to do evil. It is the utmost heaven can do to save a 
lazy man. 

Every n^other labors for the happiness of her daughters. 
T3ut there can never be any true happiness in idleness. It 
is not in the mansion of the wealthy, with its marble walls 
and choicest works of art, that happiness most frequently 
makes her abode. It is in the lowly cottage, with its vine 
covered walls, and plain decorations, that peace and con- 
tentment is most frequently found. The curse of idleness 
too often abides in the palace, while the blessing of indus- 
trv crowns the efforts of the lowly. How many there are 
who would gladly exchange the hollow mockery of fashion- 
able life, for good health, refreshing sleep, and the appetite 
that relishes plain food. No one can violate the law? of 
nature without paying the penalty. When a mother rears 
her daughter in idleness, she unfits her for a life of useful- 
ness, and the sin of the mother will be visited upon the 
daughter. 

In nearly every community there may be found one or 
more young ladies who are much interested in foreign mis- 
sions. They will talk about the benighted ignorance and 
sufferings of the Hottentots of Africa, but these same ladies 
will lounge in the parlor and never lift a hand to relieve 
their mothers of any of the cares or burdens of life. All 
honor to the noble women who are making sacrifices to 
Christianize the world, but there are many who might well 
learn the lesson that charity begins at home. An act of 
kindness loses none of its virtue because it is performed for 
a brother, sister or mother. The first duty of every one is 
to make home, pleasant. 

When a girl has been taught that labor is ignoble, she 



20 

can no longer respect the working men of ihe world. How 
many girls there are that scorn the man who works for his 
living ! They will marry a man who is rich and can sap- 
port them in idleness and Inxnry. If a man has money, he 
can always find friends. Social rank receives more honor 
than honest worth. It matters not, though a man may be 
so corrupt that his every touch is polution, though he may 
be a friend to every vice and a stranger to every virtue, yet 
if he has money or social influence, he is admitted to the 
parlors ot fashionable society. It has been only a few years 
since the corrupt scion of one of the royal families of Eu- 
rope was feted and feasted in New York and Boston. He 
was received with open arms where an honest poor man 
would have been cast out in disgrace. It mattered not, 
though it was well-known how corrupt he was, yet mothers 
introduced him to their daughters, and treated him with 
the greatest honor, simply because he was of royal blood ! 
In America we are all of the blood royal. Titled honors 
can never make a virtue of vice. A life of strict integrity 
brings its own reward. 

It is far nobler to be than to seem. It is better to do 
than to dream. People are not easily deceived. Those who 
would appear noble to others must be noble. The greatest 
good is done and most happiness secured by each individu- 
al performing the duties God created him to perform. Not 
a flower blooms in vain. All nature administers to the hap- 
piness of man. 

The nobility of labor has been sung by poets in all ages. 
The most costly monuments have been erected in memory 
of those who labored for the good of humanity. Nothing 
adds more to the dignity of a man than honest work. The 
ability to be something and to do something adds strength 



21 

to any boy or girl. The first dollar earned is always most 
highly prized. The gifts of friends can never be apprecia- 
ted like the rewards of our own labor. Fortune never favors 
the indolent and lazy. The best things always come to 
those who are willing "to hoe their own row." No girl 
should be satisfied with the idle flattery of friends. It is 
indeed pleasant to be an ornament to society, but it is f^ir 
better to be useful. 

Ignorance is not the only cause of crime. Intemperance 
is not responsible for the many convicts in our penitentia- 
ries. Recent investigations have shown that there are many 
college graduates, and many total abstainers among the 
criminal classes. What then brougiit them there ? Idle- 
ness, The person who is not self-supporting is never safe. 
No one can tell what crimes he might commit to save a 
friend from starvation. No one is fitted for life until he is 
prepared to make his own living. Education, nnless it 
makes a man more useful, does him but little good. The 
world has but little charity. It expects each to bear his 
own burden. It can no longer be considered an honor to be 
ignorant of all labor. Nature's laws are unchangeable. No 
one can live a live of indolence without feeling the curse of 
idleness. Nature knows no distinction. The lady in the 
palace and the outcast in the hovel alike must pay the pen- 
alty of violated law. 

Napoleon once said that the great need of France was 
mothers. It was the lack of home training that made 
France the scene of so many revolutions. The homes had 
become corrupt. Vice had taken the place of virtue, and 
licentiousness kn^w no law. Men were no longer brave, 
nor were women, true. In America the Eevolution succeeded 
because the maSs of the people were brave, honest, and true. 



Virtue was the guardian of every home, and the boys, as 
they knelt at their niother's knee, were taught the lessons 
of patriotism, and that allegiance to right could never be a 
crime. Around the glowing hearth-stone they were inspired 
with a love of home and of country. They knew no law but 
right and acknowledged no king but God. When victory 
was won the sword was sheathed. In the hour of triumph 
they disregarded not the principles of right and truth. Hav- 
ing become free, they returned to their homes and to indus- 
trial pursuits. It was the home training that made America 
free. All honor to the brave men who fought in that terri- 
ble struggle. But forget not the mothers of the Revolution. 
It was their instruction that made the men what they were. 
Many a son who went forth to tight and die, carried with 
him his mother's blessing, and was inspired in the fiercest 
conflicts by her words of cheer and comfort. 

In Fiince, the Kevolntion failed because the. people had 
become intoxicated with victory and acknowledged no 
law but reason. In that hour, when her best citizens 
died to satisfy the unjust demands of an unreasoning 
mob, and the streets of Paris ran red with blood, France 
felt the need of home training. She had sown the wind 
and was reaj)ing the whirlwind. She laughed at virtue, 
but could not escai>e the results of vice. TheEevolutiou 
in America succeeded because the homes were pure. The 
Kevolution in France failed because the homes were cor- 
rupt. 

The history of the world teaches' the same lesson. No 
nation can become great unless her homes are pure. The 
home life determines the prosperity of all nations. Eome 
fell not until vice and luxury had destroyed the purity 
and the virtue of her homes. If the common people had 



23 

not remained honest and brave long after their rnlers 
bad become corrnpt, the Koman Empire vvonld never have 
overshadowed the earth with her glory. The history of 
Greece, and all other nations of antiquity, teach the same 
lesson. When the homes are pure, the men will be brave 
and the women true. Tlie dangers that threaten our 
government are alarming to the extent that they destroy 
the purity and the pleasures of our homes. Ignorance 
and inten)perance are botli evils because they bring pov- 
erty and contention into every home. But they are not 
the greatest evils that threaten our government. Thr^re 
is a more subtle influence of false training and false ideas 
of life that is doing much to rob home of its pleasures. 
Intemperance curses man^^ fair homes, but unpleasant 
homes drive many men to drunkenness. He who would 
destroy the household gods and laughs at the sanctity 
of home is an enemy to his country. 

The mother is the soul of home. Her character deter- 
mines the influence of home lile upon others. Is it not 
right, then, that every girl should receive that practical 
training that will enable her to be the center of attrac- 
tion ol some family circle? It is true that family cares 
are often laughed at, and looked upon as something to be 
avoided. Fashionable society condemns many things 
that are right, and approves of many things that are 
wrong. Women are most honored by their children. 
The mothers of Washington, Wesley, and Garfleld, would 
never have been known but for their illustrious sons. 
Were home cares to women like these, irksome or degrad- 
ing? Could they have done more for humanity in any 
other work? Often, doubtless, they were tired an<l 
weary, but yet how ennobling the work ! Each day they 



24 

were training lor iiiimovtality. Too olteii motliers neg"- 
leet their lioine duties and tbeir cliddreii rise u[) to curse 
tlieni. Can tlie empty [)leasures of fasliionable society 
atoue lor neglected duties ? Can anything; give more joy 
to a motlier tlian the nobility of her sous and daughters t 

But in many communities it is not fashionable lor a 
mother to take care of her children. The nurse is 
expected to do tliat. Many chddren pass througli the 
l)erilous [)eriod of chiidliood without ever knowing a 
mother's love or a mother's w'atchful care. At tl)e tiiue 
when they are most easdy influenced, and the impres- 
sions received are most lasting, they are turned over to 
tlie servants, so that the mother may enjoy life. The 
result ol such training must eveiitiially cause disappoint- 
ment and grief. Ciiildren are no longer fasliionable. They 
liave been banisiied from the jiarlors, and the di.sgustiuii' 
))()odle ilogs have taken tlieir pUices. The merry laugh- 
ler of children,'svveeter than angels' songs, must not be 
lieard in the home. Siiould a mother wheel her child in 
the parks of New York she would be ostracised from st)- 
(^iety, but she can take her favorite dog anywhere. Fre- 
quently moie care is lavished upon tlie dogs than is given 
to the children. 

Each generation is supposed to become wiser than the 
j>receeding one, but so<*ial customs do not always indicate 
a higher state of civilization. What was right nineteen 
]uindre<l years ago ought not to be wrong now. When 
upon earth, the Lord of heaven thought it no condescen- 
sion to place his hand ui)on little C/liildren and bless them. 
We have reason to believe He would do the same thing 
to day. In all ilis teachings He upheld the sanctity of 
the homes. He abode with jMary and Martha, healed 



25 

tbe nobleman's daughter,raise(l the widow's son, attended 
the marriage feast, and forgot not his mother when lifted 
lip on Calvary. 

Women are not responsible for all the sins and mis- 
take* of life. But yet, to a ver^^ great extent, women 
determine the character of men. With pure homes we 
shall have brave men and true women. The children of 
to-day will be the men and women of the future. While 
the correct education of girls would not usher in 
the millenium, yet it would remove many of the sociiil 
sins that curse society. In would make the homes the 
center of influence, and around the fire-side would be 
taught the great moral lesson of life. 

Those who speak of marriage ,and home life as the 
enslavement of women, can find no objection to our 
theory. Girls should be free to engage in any work 
where they can be most successful. No one should limit 
her opportunities for usetulness. She onght to be trained 
so as to succeed at something. Her most cruel enslave- 
ment is idleness. While all the vocations are open to 
her, yet if she takes upon herself the holy name of wife 
and mother, she ought to be prepared to discharge the 
duties devolving upon her. 

What other instruction does a girl need ? She has 
received the physical training that makes her healthy 
and strong, the intellectual culture that makes her wise, 
and the practical knowledge that makes her useful. She 
yet lacks the moral and religious training. She needs 
that faith and courage that will uphold her in the darkest 
hoars. Nothing but religion can give ^her this. Her 
mind, has been trained to plan, her hands to execute, and 
now her heart must feel. Without heart power, how cold 



26 

and lifeless seems every A'ood work ! Tbose who would 
move others must first be moved themselves. The 
fifreatest men have ever been moral men. 

The girl who receives religious instruction at her 
mother's knee, wdl be saved from many trials. f here 
are times when the paths ;of sin seem strewn with the 
choicest flowers, while duty leads across the rugged rocks 
and thorny ways. Vice seems as enchanting as the 
music of a dream, while the votaries of virtue receive torn 
hands and bleeding hearts. But yet, the reward of vir- 
tue is life, and the wages of sin is death. Every straggle 
but adds strength to the strong. But in such conflicts 
nothing is so cheering as the religion of Christ. Only 
the true are brave. The weak yield to sin. The disap- 
pointments in life may be the means of developing the 
noblest traits of character. Those who never sufter can 
never sympathize with others. 

Beauty of character is more attractive than beauty of 
countenance. Virtue is ^divine and adds a charm to 
every face. Intellectual attainments may make a girl 
vain and proud ; religion makes her modest and kind. 
Eeligion adorns the character of any person. To be 
gentle, and considerate of the feelings of others is a part 
ofawoman^s nature. Created with finer sensibilities, 
arid a keener appreciation of beauty in nature and char- 
acter than man, she should elevate and purify everything 
with which she comes in contact. Nothing attracts more 
attention than a rude boisterous woman. Her surround- 
ings are not in harmony- with her better nature. 

A woman is better by nature than man. She is nat 
urally a creature of devotion; man of ambition. Occu- 
pying a higher plane, when she falls she falls to a lower 



27 

depth of (legredation and crime. The most pitable sight 
is a fallen woman. Society never forgets, — never par- 
dons, and when a woman falls she turns her l)ack upon 
honor and virtue, and pUmges into sin that she may not 
hear the warning voice of her conscience and of her better 
nature. Sin is lilve a whirlpool. Those who laugh at the 
slow €ircli?]g eddies are linally swallowed up m the awful 
vortex. Not until too late do many realize the growing 
power of crime. Too olten, to look upon sin is to yield 
to its enticing influence. 

There is no safety except in the right. Sin is polutioo. 
Vice can never l)e made a virtue, it matters not by what 
name it may be called. The first misdemeanor leads to 
the transgression of law, and violation oflaw is moral 
death. Fo one can commit sin without paying the pen- 
alty. Girls like to have a good time. Some flirt and 
laugh and talk with every man they meet. They mean 
no harm, but it is dangerous. All questionable amuse- 
ments should be avoided. Every mean act carries a kin- 
dred one. When a giii no longer tells her mother of her 
hopes and fears, ehe is not far from ruin. Many mis- 
takes might be avoided by her wise counsel. A girl 
never gets too old to have any secrets that she cannot 
tell her mother. 

Every deviation from the path of rectitude and right 
must be retraced. He who commits a crime must atone 
ior the wrong he nas done. That is the teaching of nature 
and of nature's God. Truth alone is immortal. It may 
not always be popular, but it is safe to be on the side of 
truth and right. Sin in high places is seldom denounced 
Social rank and financial influence atones for many sins 
In the eves of the world. 



28 

The glory of to-day is to be a woman. The biiglitCw^t 
pages ot'tlie history of the past will be excelled by the 
brilliant achievements of the lutnre. ^o age has expected 
so much of woman as the present. Never before has she 
attracted so mnch attention or received more honor. But 
all this is only a prophecy of what the future yet may 
be. With all the bright hopes there are also many 
dangers. Kevolutions frequently go to extremes. Among 
the mauy vocations now open to woman, there is danger 
that she will forget those other duties that add so much 
to her worth and loveliness. Woman's greatest duty is 
to herself and her family. 

Soon we shall be in the midst of an exciting political 
campaign. Eloquent speeches will portray, in burning 
language, how the mass of the people have been burdened 
by an oppressive protective tarift". Others no less elo- 
quent will speak in glowing terms of the prosperity of 
the country, and warn the people against any change in 
the protective duties upon foreign goods. All will ac- 
knowledge that the question is an important one and 
should concern every citizen of our country. But after 
all, the government will live with a juotective tariif, or 
with a tarifl' for revenue only. That is not the most 
important question that concerns the American i)eople. 
Whoev'er may be President, the country will prosper, but 
without pure homes no nation can ever become great. 
How to maintain the purity and happiness of home lite is 
the question of first importance. That is woman's allot- 
ted work. In no other vocation can she do so much for 
her country. Her influence determines the character of 
men. It may be truthlully said that the men of any 
community are just what the women want them to be. 



29 

It is in the family circle and in society that woman 
exerts her greatest influence. In this age, when tiie 
daily papers are filled with the records of crime and the 
disgusting' details of the divorce court, it would be well 
to look carefully at the home life of the people. Crime 
is becoming more common each year. No law can pre- 
vent evil. The great army of criminals receives its 
recruits from the streets and from lunpleasant homes. 
It is better to save the children than to punish them as 
criminals. Better to make the homes pure than to com- 
plain about the natural results of the lack of home train- 
ing. Il^ine-tenths of the woe and sin and misery in the 
world might be avoided by the correct education and 
home training of the girls. Instead of discord and con- 
fusion, there would be peace and harmony. Instead of 
the long list of misdemeanors that now till the secular 
papers, there would be the record of many a deed of kind- 
ness. Instead of the notoriety of crime, there would be 
the pleasure of virtue. 

In conclusion then, girls should receive, 

1. That physical training that makes them strong and 
healthy. That is the first duty of life. Without good 
health no person can do much lor himself or for others. 
The loss of health renders success in life impossible, and 
makes failure doubly bitter. 

2. They should receive that intellectual training that 
gives them a knowledge of the common school branches, 
and such other subjects as will fit them for some special 
work in life. Her intellectual attainments should be 
limited only by time and circumstances. No knowledge 
is too good for a girl. The more she knows the more 
successful she will be in life. It would be well if every 



30 

girl could receive a practical collegriate education. A 
knowledge of the fine artf* and music adds much to ber 
happiness and usef'nlness in the world. 

3. The.v slionhl receive that practical knowledge of 
home cares and home duties that will prepare them to 
make some man a good wile, and to be the attraction of 
some family circle. !Xot that every woman should be her 
own servant, but that every woman should be the mis- 
tress of her own house. 

4. They should receive that moral and religious in- 
struction that makes a life of virtue in a lowl^^ cottage 
more attractive than a life of sin in the fashionable pal- 
acV. It is this instruction that will enablt* her to resist 
temptation, and to assist the weak. She will rely not 
only upon her own strength, but upon the Almighty Arm 
that upholds the world. 

The result of this system of education will be the true 
woman, the great object of all instruction. She will have 
a constitution that will resist di.<ease and be capable of 
enduring fatigue. She will have that knowledge and 
culture that will enable her to take the lead in society or 
to grace the parlor. She will have that knowledge and 
skilf of every day life that will make home indeed the 
sweetest spot on earth. She will have that pure and 
religious character that will make her a safe guide for 
ciiildren, and a wise counselor for the weary and de- 
spondent. 

What can be more noble than such a character f How 
much better to educate for life, for immortality, than to 
strive after that superficial culture that attracts atten- 
tion only lor a season. They do not degrade education 
who would make it practical rather than ornamental. 



31 

They see within the human heart a little spark of divin- 
ity that only needs to be developed to become one of the 
brightest angels of heaven. All instruction and training- 
tends to make the individual more useful in life, and bet- 
ter prepared for an endless existence beyond the grave. 
The true education recognizes the divinity in man, and 
the possibilities of human achievements. 

After all, is not the soul the greater part of man f 
Wealth and honor soon pass away, but the empire of 
truth endures forvever. But few names are recorded 
upon the pages ot history or inscribed upon the scroll of 
fame. He who is honored to-day may be a lonely exile 
to-moirow. Better to be forgotten ihau to be remembered 
only by the wrongs of the poor and disconsolate. It is easy 
to win admiration. Every beauty receives the homage of a 
delighted populace. But is that the end ot life If VV^ould 
it not be nobler to care ibr the weary than to strive for 
the unthinking applause of the moment!? 

The highest ambition a girl can have is to be a 
woman, — noble and true. To live for show may be pleas- 
ant, but it is always dangerous. No person has a right 
to disregard the welfare of others. Those to whom oppor- 
tunities of doing good are given, cannot be guiltless if 
they do not do the best they can. Woman is destined to 
take the lead in many a noble work. Her mission in the 
world is to lift up fallen man. No deed of virtue is im- 
possible to her. The weary, the sick and the broken 
hearted, all look to her for consolation and })eace. Child- 
hood, youth and old age, all acknowledge her as the 
guardian angel of life. It is her high privilege to be 
remembered by her deeds of kindness and charity. The 
heart that has become hardened by sin can be softened 



32 

by the smile of an innoceutgirK The homeless wanderer 
may be saved by the tender memories] of his mother's 
voice. No one has fallen so low as not to be reached by 
the gentle intinence of a woman's life. But yet, how 
many disrep:ard the noble heritage! Instead of a life 
devoted to the welfare of others, they live for the fleeting 
pleasures of youth. They throw aside the crown, more 
resplendent than the glittering coronet that decks the 
brow ot an oriental princess, and eagerly grasp the fad 
ing wreath of flattery and fashion. Nothinir so adoruesf 
the character of a woman as life ol strict integrity. 
Kindness and virtue are among the priceless jewels that 
all may possess. It is this that makes life worth living, 
and tits the soul for an •' eternal tenantry in God's 
boundless Universe." 

THE END. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



019 646 440 2 



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